German Wine Society DC Chapter

Spargelfest at Cafe Berlin
2012-05-08 18:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Cafe Berlin, 322 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC, 20002, United States
This year our Spargelfest wine dinner will take place at Café Berlin Tuesday, May 8. Café Berlin has been serving traditional German cuisine on Capitol Hill since 1986. It is walking distance from Union Station and occupies the ground floor of three joined townhouses as well as the accompanying outdoor Bier Garten. The chefs are German, as are the owners, so the traditional dishes are authentically prepared, but with a lighter touch. Cafe Berlin is located at: 322 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002 (www.cafeberlindc.com).We have designed a menu to satisfy your appetites: a soup, an appetizer, entree choice, all themed around our favorite pointy-headed spring vegetable, and a special dessert, … and, it’s a bargain at $80.00 for members, $87.00 for guests. WELCOME WINE << Fitz Ritter Sekt, NV Extra Trocken, Pfalz >> SOUP STARTER Cream of Asparagus Soup, served with Graved Salmon << Selbach, Salomon, Trocken, Mosel >>SALAD COURSE Marinated Chilled Asparagus, with Balsamic-Orange Vinaigrette << Gruener Veltliner, Pratsch, Weinviertel >> MAIN COURSE (choice of one) Grilled Swordfish, topped with a Mango-Orange Concasses and Asparagus, served with Sauce Hollandaise and Potato Pancakes Or Paniertes Schweineschnitzel mit Spargel (sautéed, lightly breaded pork steak), served with Asparagus, Sauce Hollandaise and New Potatoes << Leitz “Dragonstone” Riesling, Rheingau >> << Dr Pauly-Bergweiler “Noble House” Riesling, Mosel >>DESSERT (choice of one) Black Forest Cherry Cake Or Linzer Torte Coffee or Tea

New Vintage Tasting with Phil Bernstein
2012-02-17 19:00 - 22:00 | Harbor Square Party Room, 500 N St SW, Washington, DC, 20024, United States
Every year we host a tasting to provide members and guests with an early opportunity to taste wines from the new vintage. The 2010 wines are just arriving, and now is a great time to sample what is available so you can decide what to buy based on the most important information– what tastes good to you!The tasting will be Friday, February 17, at 7 p.m. The price is $35 for members and $42 for non-members.2010 was an extremely unusual vintage in Germany, with some of the lowest yields in the past 100 years. In his recent report, David Schildknecht writes that some of the 2010 wines are frightful and many others are mind-bendingly complex. In the words of Terry Theise, what’s good in 2010 is absurdly good, and what’s not good is a mess. His candidate motto for the 2010 vintage is: WTF!!We are fortunate that DC boasts one of the best German wine retailers in the country, Phil Bernstein of MacArthur Beverages, who will pick some of the good stuff for us. Phil will present some value wines, some wonderful wines, and some new wines. The wines we will be serving are:2010 Dr L Riesling Qba2010 St Urbans Hof Riesling Qba2010 Donnhoff Kreuznacher Krotenpfuhl Riesling Kabinett2010 Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett2010 A.J. Adam Riesling Kabinett2010 Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett2010 Fritz Haag Braunenberger Juffer Sonnenur Spatlese Erste Lage #7 Riesling2010 Schloss Lieser Braunenberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese2010 Monchoff Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese2010 Selbach Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling AusleseCome and experience for yourself one of the most unusual vintages in the history of German wine.

Annual Membership Meeting
2012-01-21 18:00 - 21:00 | Harbor Square Party Room, 500 N St SW, Washington, DC, 20024, United States
Prosit Neujahr! You are cordially invited to attend this year’s membership meeting when we will elect new officers. There will be some very good wines from the cellar to drink with our — by now traditional — quiz game and cheeses and bread to go with the wines. There will also be short reports on how we arrive at prices for a tasting and the report on the chapter’s finances, membership, etc.

Holiday Dinner at Cosmos Club
2011-12-03 19:00 - 22:00 | Cosmos Club, 2121 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, DC, 20008, United States
We know you’ve been nice, so join us at our holiday paired dinner at the Cosmos Club, Saturday, December 3, 2011, starting at 7 p.m. The address for our tasting is 2121 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20008. Metro is near and parking is ample.The venue is stunning: a private room, the Members Dining Room, in this landmark building. Perfect for that special evening with friends and family!Our sponsor, Dean Collins, has graciously offered to provide brief tours of the Cosmos Club starting at 6:30 p.m. prior to our dinner at 7 p.m. When you reserve, please indicate if you will be joining us for what is sure to be an interesting and enlightening insight into the club, its building, and its history.Paired with the dinner, this will be a “first look” at the 2010 J.J. Prum portfolio. The menu is:Amuse-BoucheFig and Goat Cheese Flatbread with pear chutneyHenkell SektOur StarterArugula Salad with frisee, radicchio, tomato, feta, Kalamata olives, lemon vinaigrette2010 JJ KabinetOur EntreeStriped Bass with Tomato-topped Crabmeat, served with curried spinach and a red Thai curry sauceHot Popovers2010 Graacher Himmelreich Spaetlese2010 Wehlener Sonnenuhr SpaetleseOur DessertHazelnut Crunch Cake – Hazelnut dacquoise, Ganache, crunchy wafers and orange liquor2010 Graacher Himmelreich Auslese2010 Wehlener Sonnenuhr AusleseCoffee/TeaDinner is $95 for members, $105 for non-members.The deadline for reservations is Tuesday, November 29, so that we may provide Chef the count. This promises to be a wonderful event so send off your reservations right away and don’t miss out.

Rieslings 'round the World
2011-11-04 19:30 - 22:00 | Harbor Square Party Room, 500 N St SW, Washington, DC, 20024, United States
Mark your calendar now for our “Rieslings ’round the World” Riesling Blind Tasting, led by our own Carl Brandhorst. The evening’s tasting takes place in the Harbour Square Club Room. The address for our tasting is 500 N St SW, Washington, DC. 20024-4605. Parking is available on the street and in the complex on a first-come-first-served basis. The date is Friday, November 4th, starting at 7:30 PM. The price will be $35 for members and $42 for non-members. At this tasting, the German Wine Society will present a blind tasting of Rieslings from several countries around the world. There will be ten wines in two flights, five wines to a flight. There will be one German wine to satisfy those thinking that only German Rieslings are worth drinking. In each flight, five wines will be poured for comparative tasting. During the break between the flights, light hors d’oeuvres will be served. Only crackers and water will be available during the flights.. The session will be limited to 36 participants because the available wine is limited. After each flight participants will receive a list of the wines tasted. During the flights, sheets containing the modified Davis Scale, normally used in national wine judging events, will be provided so that participants can record their impressions based upon color, aroma, taste, finish and hedonistic impression. The purpose of this educational tasting is to show that excellent Rieslings are produced in countries other than Germany, and for each participant to determine which of the wines he or she prefers. In selecting the Rieslings for this presentation, the presenter tasted many Rieslings generally available in the Washington metropolitan area to see which ones met his criteria. The criteria will be stated at the beginning of the presentation. The deadline is Friday, October 31st. Please send your reservation ASAP, so we can finalize planning. We are united in our love for German wines. But the Riesling grape grows in many places and makes excellent wine outside of Germany. This is not an exercise to pick out the German wine, but to show the variation that the Riesling grape exhibits and to see if you like some of these different styles.

Rapturous Reds
2011-10-14 19:00 - 22:00 | The Colonnade, 2801 New Mexico Ave NW, DC, 20032, United States
Join us Friday, October 14, at 7 p.m., as we experience “Rapturous Reds” as presented by our own Michael Fritze, who has spent his summer meticulously researching candidates for this tasting.The winemakers represented at this tasting are part of the red wine revolution currently underway in Germany. German red wines tend to be not like the fruity red wines we know from warmer countries. Rather, they show as lean and more elegant, with a lot of finesse.30 years ago, in the international scene, people would not talk about German red wine. This has changed, and rightly so. Germany now produces red wines that compete with the best of the world. The share of red wines in terms of production has increased from 10 percent in the 1980s to about 35 percent now in Germany.The wines we will taste:TROLLINGER: This very old red variety probably originated in, and derives its name from, Tirol, where it is known as Schiava (Italy) and Vernatsch (Austria). A large yielder that ripens very late, it produces fragrant, fruity, light wines with a pronounced acidity.*NV Winzergenossenschaft Württemberg, TrollingerSPÄTBURGUNDER: In Germany, the Spätburgunder is to red wine what the Riesling is to white wine: the cream of the crop. In fact, Germany is the world’s third largest producer of Pinot Noir. The German name for the grape is Spätburgunder – late (spät) ripening pinot (burgunder).*2008 August Kessler Spätburgunder Qualitätswein Trocken, Rheingau (Assmanshausen)2010 Vier Jahreszeiten Pinot Noir Qualitätswein, Pfalz (Bad Dürkheim)2008 Meyer-Näkel Blauschiefer (Blue Slate) Pinot Noir Qualitätswein Trocken, Ahr2008 Knipser Blauer Spätburgunder Trocken, Pfalz (Laumersheim)2008 Becker Estate Pinot Noir Qualitätswein, Pfalz (Schweigen)2008 Villa Wolf Pinot Noir, Pfalz (Ernst Loosen owned)DORNFELDER: Among new varieties, the Dornfelder shows great promise. A prolific, relatively early ripener, it produces wine far deeper in color than is typical of German reds.* Additionally, Dornfelder produces wines heavier and noticeably more tannic than spätburgunder.2009 Windsong VA Dornfelder2008 Georg Albrecht Schneider Dornfelder Qualitaetswein Trocken, Rheinhessen (Nierstein)2007 Weingut Binz Dornfelder Trocken, Rheinhessen (Nackenheim)2008 Weingut Walter Merk Dornfelder Trocken, Pfalz* This information is cited from the German Wine Institute, www.germanwines.de

Lindsay Morriss and George Albrecht Schneider Wines Tasting
2011-09-16 19:00 - 22:00 | Harbor Square Party Room, 500 N St SW, Washington, DC, 20024, United States
Join us Friday, September 16, at 7 p.m., as we taste the wines from the renowned Weingut George Albrecht Schneider as presented by German wine expert Lindsay Morriss.Lindsay Morriss joins us this evening from Rhode Island. Lindsay is an expert when it comes to German wine. She graduated in 2010 with a MBA degree in Wine Marketing & Management from the French Business School INSEEC Bordeaux. The topic of her MBA thesis was: “Raising the Profile of German Wines in the U.S. Market.” Lindsay argues that Germany should place more emphasis on promoting other grape varieties outside of Riesling when marketing its wines in the U.S., such as its abundant red grapes and white Pinots (Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris). As part of her studies, Lindsay interned last fall at Weingut Georg Albrecht Schneider. She probably knows this winery and its wines better than anyone else in the U.S.Weingut Georg Albrecht Schneider has been exporting wine for over 30 years and is no stranger to the German wine scene in the U.S. Today, about half its total production is exported, of which 70% goes to the U.S. and the remainder to Japan. The estate cultivates 37 acres of premium vineyards situated along the Rhine River that are planted with over ten grape varieties (52% Riesling; 17% Müller-Thurgau; 8% Silvaner; 8% Pinot Gris/Blanc; 8% red wine varieties; 7% other). You may have already met Ulrike Schneider in Washington D.C., where she regularly comes once or twice a year to present her family’s wines. With vineyards situated on Nierstein’s acclaimed “red slope,” Georg Albrecht Schneider counts as one of Germany’s leading winemaking estates.Our Board member Christian Schiller, who had met Lindsay at Weingut Georg Albrecht Schneider while she was interning there, recently revisited the winery and took some pictures that he will present during the tasting. Check out Christian Schiller’s excellent recap on our event!

Pairing and Preparing the Perfect Riesling Dinner
2011-08-09 20:00 | Open Kitchen Restaurant, 7115 Leesburg Pike, Leesburg, VA, 22043, United States
Join your German Wine Society friends and associates as we learn the challenges and considerations of combining our favorite wines with various cuisines. This meal promises to be a rare treat for the palate as shown by the menu and wines described below. In this Demonstration Dinner, we will observe Chef Ken, head chef at Open Kitchen, and his team prepare our dinner. We will discuss the ingredient selection and assembly and ask questions as we observe their techniques and talents. Finally, we will sample the wines and savor the foods, seeing how this complex set of decisions becomes a feast for our eyes, nose and palate. This Demonstration Dinner takes place Tuesday, August 9, at 7 p.,m., at the new and exciting Open Kitchen restaurant and cooking school. Learn more about the restaurant at https://openkitchen-dcmetro.com/home/.

Summer Solstice Potomac Cruise
2011-06-19 19:00 - 22:00 | Georgetown Waterfront, 3050 K St., NW, Washington, DC, 20007, United States
On Sunday evening, June 19, we will once again enjoy a wonderful evening cruise on the Potomac. We will be casting off all lines and getting underway from Georgetown Harbor, just at the bottom of 31st Street NW at 7:15 pm., aboard the Nightingale. As the boat leaves promptly at that time, we need everyone to muster at the dock and suggest that everyone plan to arrive by 7:00pm.This will be a relaxing, post-dinner cruise so we can concentrate on the wines and the atmosphere. There are many dining establishments in the Georgetown area, several right in the Georgetown Harbor area, and we encourage all who want to take the cruise to dine there beforehand. We must depart EXACTLY at 7:15 pm for the two-hour cruise down the Potomac and back again to Georgetown Harbor. We will have a few cheeses and fruits to

Portfolio Tasting with Domaine Select and Daniel Hubbard
2011-04-09 19:00 - 22:00 | Harbor Square Party Room, 500 N St SW, Washington, DC, 20024, United States
Please join us Saturday, April 9, at 7 p.m., for our upcoming tasting with Daniel C. Hubbard of Domaine Select Wine Estates (DSWE). He has planned a power-point presentation to share with us his extensive knowledge of German wine. As DSWE’s Central European portfolio manager and Mid-Atlantic sales manager, Daniel is well established with the German wine scene, as our board member Christian Schiller can attest. They met at the 1st International Riesling Symposium last year at Schloss Reinhartshausen in the Rheingau. The tasting will be at the Harbour Square Club Room. As you will recall, this venue provides us a stunning view of the Washington skyline. The price for this tasting is $35 for members and $42 for non-members.In 2010, DSWE was named Food & Wine magazine’s Importer of the Year. The German wine portfolio of DSWE is exquisite and diverse, containing, at one end, the Pfalz wines of Weingut Christmann, whose owner, Steffen Christmann, is the current VDP President, the organization of Germany’s elite winemakers, and at the other end, the wines of Dirk Wuertz, a young and upcoming German winemaker who sells his Rieslings as bag-in box wines at Whole Foods and New York’s trendy wine bar “The Ten Bells.” It’s one heck of a selection! The wines have been selected. They are four flights of three wines each, each flight representing a particular vintner. The wines are: 2009 Christmann, Riesling, Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten, Pfalz2009 Christmann, Riesling IDIG GG, Pfalz2009 Kuhling-Gillot, Riesling Nierstein, Rheinhessen Rheinhessen2009 Peter-Jakob Kühn, Riesling Quarzit, Rheingau2009 Peter-Jakob Kühn, Riesling Doosberg, 1. Gewächs, Rheingau2009 Melsheimer, Riesling Kabinett, Reiler Mullay-Hofberg, MSR2009 Melsheimer, Riesling Spätlese, Schäf, MSR2007 Melsheimer, Riesling Auslese #34, MSR

Luxembourg Wine Tasting at Luxembourg Embassy
2011-03-18 18:30 - 22:00 | Luxembourg Embassy, 2200 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20008, United States
Mark your calendars! We have been invited to an exciting opportunity to enjoy the wines of the “other Mosel,” the Moselle River in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, at the beautiful setting of the Embassy of Luxembourg on March 18, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. The price for the evening’s tasting is $25 per participant. This amount will form our charitable donation, as requested by the Embassy in lieu of an event charge. The deadline to submit reservations for this event is March 14, 2011. The Embassy of Luxembourg is able to accommodate a maximum of 40 guests. As this event is expected to be quite popular, please send your check promptly with your reservation. Also, please bring identification for admission to the Embassy. About Luxembourg Winemaking: Luxembourg has a 2000-year history of wine-making, but its wine production is not large and exports are mainly to Belgium and Germany, so this tasting affords a unique chance to try a variety of wines from Luxembourg in the United States. In addition to sharing a great wine-producing region with Germany (Luxembourg’s vineyards in the Moselle valley adjoin Germany’s Upper Mosel), most of the grapes grown in Luxembourg are also found in Germany, including the noble Riesling, Pinot Gris (Ruländer), Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder), Gewürztraminer, Auxerrois, Mueller-Thurgau, and Elbling. However, most of the wines of Luxembourg are drier than those produced in Germany, and the classification system varies considerably from the one familiar to German wine-lovers, so this should be a very interesting experience in learning about the different ways that one of Germany’s neighbors can produce fine wines using the same grapes and river valley as our familiar German Mosel wines. The Ambassador of Luxembourg, Jean-Paul Senninger, who is from Luxembourg’s wine-growing region, will present the wines personally, and there will also be a presentation on wine-making in Luxembourg. About the Evening: The four principal types of wines that will be available come from one of Luxembourg’s largest producers, Bernard-Massard, and its Clos des Rochers estate. These include Clos des Rochers Riesling, Clos des Rochers Pinot Gris, and Clos des Rochers Auxerrois, as well as a Bernard-Massard Cuvee de l’Ecusson Cremant, Luxembourg’s well-known sparkling wine. In addition, the Embassy plans to offer some wines for tasting from its private stock, produced by the State-owned wine institute’s own vineyards and not available for sale to the general public, likely including a Gewürztraminer. Through the evening, the Embassy will be serving light refreshments artfully prepared by its chef.

New Vintage Tasting with Phil Bernstein
2011-02-25 19:00 - 22:00 | Harbor Square Party Room, 500 N St SW, Washington, DC, 20024, United States
Please join us for our upcoming tasting with Phil Bernstein of Addy Bassins. The tasting is scheduled for Friday, February 25, at 7 p.m. at the Harbour Square Club Room. As you will recall, this venue provides us a stunning view of the Washington skyline. The price for this tasting is $35 for members and $42 for non-members. This event will provide an opportunity to taste the new German vintage, 2009. This is a vintage that has been widely hailed as excellent by the critics. It also provides a nice contrast to the 2008s we tasted with Phil last year: 2008 was a classic year, with minerality and acidity rather than lots of sugar; 2009 retains the minerality and acidity but it’s wrapped up in more substance. In the words of Terry Theise, 2008 is the little sister who likes dancing; 2009 is the older brother who likes playing sports. The wines are just arriving, and now is a great time to sample what is available so you can make choices about what to buy based on the most important information of all — what tastes good to you! The pairs to be served are: 2009 Kruger Rumpf Riesling Feinherb “Schiefer” 2009 Kruger Rumpf Scheurebe 2009 Uerziger Wuerzgarten Riesling Kabinett Merkelbach2009 Uerziger Wuerzgarten Riesling Kabinett Moenchhoff 2009 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spaetlese 2009 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2001 Doennhoff Kirschheck Riesling Spaetlese 2009 Doennhoff Kirschheck Riesling Spaetlese

Annual Membership Meeting
2011-01-28 19:00 - 22:00 | Harbor Square Party Room, 500 N St SW, Washington, DC, 20024, United States
Prosit Neujahr! You are cordially invited to attend this year’s membership meeting when we will elect new officers. There will be some very good wines from the cellar to drink, along with cheeses and bread to go with the wines. There will also be short reports on how we arrive at prices for a tasting and the report on the chapter’s finances, membership, etc. Please consider giving back to the Chapter by serving on the board or by volunteering to plan a monthly tasting. The membership meeting will be held on Friday, January 28, at 7:00 p.m.It is very important that you come and vote at this meeting — it is your chapter and you can help shape its activities by voting. Ballots will be available at the meeting. We recommend you submit nominations by January 26. Please send them by e-mail to Hanne Caraher, hcaraher@verizon.net.Members pay nothing for this tasting; non-members pay $15 each. All GWS members and guests are reminded that alcohol consumption can lead to intoxication and therefore Society members and their guests are expected to drink in moderation at Society events. It is advisable to provide designated drivers where available or mostly to taste rather than consume alcohol when such drivers are not available. Results of Annual Meeting: The Capital Chapter of the German Wine Society conducted its annual meeting Friday, January 28, at which it reviewed its achievements through the past year, reflected on its membership, assessed its finances, and discussed the coming year. The attendees also elected its new officers: President – Alan Knapp Vice President – Ken Belsley Treasurer – David Roehm Secretary – Hanne Caraher At Large – Marilyn Scarbrough At Large – Christian Schiller Congratulations all! Those present also sampled and discussed the merits of selected cellar wines. These were: 2001 Dr. Thanisch Erben Muller-Burggraef Spatburgunder Qba Mosel 2006 Paul Anhueser Kreuznacher Moenchberg Schuerebe QbA Nahe 2003 Weingut Born Hohnstedter Kelterberg Riesling Spatlese Saale Unstrut 2007 Fitz-Ritter Gewurtraminer Spatlese Pfalz 2000 Mankel Westhofner Morstein Ortega BA Rheinhessen 2003 Bender Bissersheimer Held Silvaner Eiswein Pfalz2000 Darting Duerkheimer Nonnengarten Rieslaner TBA Pfalz

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas ...
2010-12-10 19:00 - 22:00 | National Press Club, 529 14th St NW, Washington, DC, 20045, United States
Our annual holiday paired dinner will be held Friday, December 10, 2010, starting at 7 p.m.This year the dinner will be at the National Press Club. The venue is stunning: a private room, the 1st Amendment, offering us views overlooking the White House, Treasury Building, Willard Hotel, and other historic downtown landmarks. What a terrific opportunity for a very special evening with friends and family! Let’s hope for a light dusting of snow to really set the festive evening mood.The evening begins at 7PM with passed hors d’oeuvre paired with one of our favorite SektsGrilled Bruschetta with Tomato Slice Relish, Mini Reubens, Crab RangoonsHenkellThe evening continues when we are seated at 7:30PMA starter of Frisee Salad with cranberry, apricot, oranges, and nuts, drizzled vinaigrette, and served with with grilled bread – a visual as well as culinary feast!2007 Leitz Eins Zwei Dry QBA Trocken, Rheingau2008 Jakoby-Mathy Kinheimer Rosenberg Kabinett, MoselA main course of Seared Cod served with Lemon Risotto, Papaya Jalapeno Salsa, and Bread and butter – an exciting change from years past!2008 Selbach Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spatlese, Mosel2009 Fitz Ritter Dürkheimer Spielberg Chardonnay Spätlese trocken, Pfalz (If Santa can bring it in time! else, a terrific alternate will be substituted.)The evening concludes with a special dessertA Cheese Plate of Cambozola & Grafton Cheddar, served with walnut stuffed date, Roasted Fig Orange section1997 Kruger-Rumpf Munsterer Pittersberg Riesling Eiswein, Nahe1998 Bender Bissersheimer Held Silvaner Eiswein, PfalzCoffee Service

A Vertical Blind Tasting
2010-10-15 19:00 - 22:00
Friday, October 15, at 7 p.m. Our educational tasting at the Harbor Square Party Room. Based on reviews by David Schildknecht, and discussions with Phil Bernstein at one of our favorite retailers, McArthur Liquors, we have picked some fabulous wines for this tasting. To make the tasting fun and educational, each table will try to identify which wine matches which description. This tasting should be entertaining and challenging and will help you (re)discover why German wines are some of the greatest in the world. THE WINES 2008 Hexamer Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Kabinett 2008 Diel Pittermaennchen Kabinett 2007 AJ Adam Hofberg Spaetlese 2008 AJ Adam Hofberg Spaetlese 2003 Doennhoff Norheimer Bruecke Spaetlese 2007 Doennhoff Norheimer Bruecke Spaetlese 2007 Schaefer Froehlich Bockenauer Felseneck Spaetlese Gold Cap 2008 Schaefer Froehlich Bockenauer Felseneck Spaetlese Gold Cap 2002 JJ Christoffel Erdener Treppchen Auslese 2005 JJ Christoffel Erdener Treppchen Auslese

Exciting pairing of wines at the National Press Club
2010-08-13 19:00 - 22:00 | National Press Club, 529 14th St NW, Washington, DC, 20045, United States
Our special event at the National Press Club is almost upon us — less than two weeks away. We’ve prepared a very special evening for you on Friday, August 13. We’re heading to the Orient, via the National Press Club downtown, to sample wines specially selected for us by James Kellaris. The evening’s theme is the pairing of our favorite wines with Southeast Asian cuisine. The NPC chef is very excited about this challenge and is whipping up a menu sure to please all palates. This event will feature light fair, with each of the three courses served Mezze-style to the table. James Kellaris comes to us from Roanoke Valley Wine Company, whose German wine portfolio is terrific, and brings with him a wealth of knowledge on German wine. He will be discussing each of the wines as it is served and comment on how the character of each wine goes with the food being served. Perhaps you have made James’ acquaintance at Arrowine, where he occasionally presents his wines on Fridays and Saturdays. Here are the wines we will be tasting, paired with light dishes specially selected to match the wines. A TRIO OF DRY WINES – Hans Wirsching, Silvaner 2007 (Franken) Pfeffingen, Dry Riesling 2007 (Pfalz) Becker, Pinot Noir 2007 (Pfalz) A TRIO OF KABINETTS JJ Pruem, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling Kabinett 2007 (Mosel) Gunderloch, “Jean Baptiste,” Riesling Kabinett 2008 (Rheinhessen) Von Buhl, Armand, Riesling Kabinett 2008 (Pfalz) III. RESERVE WINES – Schlossgut Diel, Dorsheimer Goldloch, Riesling Grosses Gewaechs 2006 (Nahe) Schaefer Froehlich, Bockenauer Felseneck, Riesling Spaetlese 2008 (Nahe) This promises to be a wonderful event so send off your reservations right away and don’t miss out. The price for this paired tasting is just $60 for members and $67 for non-members. The address for our tasting is 529 14th St NW Washington, DC 20045. We recommend taking Metro, but it is very easy to get to the NPC and park there. The deadline for reservations is Tuesday, August 10.

Oktoberfest in the Pfalz
2010-07-17 19:00 - 2010-09-17 22:00 | Harbor Square Party Room, 500 N St SW, Washington, DC, 20024, United States
Friday, September 17, at 7 p.m. at the Harbour Square Club Room, which provides us a stunning view of the Washington skyline. The price for this tasting is $20 for members, $27 for guests. In years past, we (virtually) visited the Rheingau and the Rheinhessen to celebrate and learn more about these regions’ fine wines. This year we visit the Pfalz, a region near and dear to our hearts, and home of one of our national board’s members – Alice Fitz of Fitz-Ritter. It is an opportunity to experience wines from our cellar and snacks representing the region. As with last year, your pourers have undertaken considerable research to ensure your experience is both delicious and delectable. We’re excited to be joined this year by fellow oenophiles from the Goethe Institute. As we promote the understanding, appreciation and knowledge of German wines, so the members of the Goethe Institute promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation. At this tasting, we can do both … together. From Rudi Wiest: “The Mediterranean like climate and geographic advantages of this sun drenched region makes the Pfalz a favored climate for ripening grapes, fruits and vegetables. This “Tuscany of Germany” is a paradise for noble sweet wines. The powerful, distinctive character of Pfalz Riesling is derived from the stony sediment of the Rhine, with the colored sandstone of the forested Haardt Mountains and remnants of ancient volcanic eruptions.” (https://www.rudiwiest.com) And from our superstar, Terry Theise: “The wines have a great affinity for food—certainly the most versatile of all German wines—and yet they have an indefinable elegance.” (https://www.skurnikwines.com/msw/documents/2010GermanCatalog.pdf) The specific wines we’ll be sampling are: 2007 Fitz Riesling Sekt T Pfalz 2005 Becker Spatburgunder QBA Trocken Pfalz 2002 von Buhl Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Spatlese Pfalz 2007 Fitz-Ritter Scheurebe Spatlese Pfalz 1994 Kohler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spatlese Pfalz 1995 Lingenfelder Freinsheimer Musikantenbuckel Scheurebe Auslese Pfalz 1996 Bender Bissersheimer Held Scheurebe Eiswein Pfalz 1999 Minges Flemlinger Zechpeter Muskateller Eiswein Pfalz

Summer Solstice Cruise
2010-06-20 19:00 - 22:00 | Georgetown Waterfront, 3050 K St., NW, Washington, DC, 20007, United States
On Sunday evening, June 20, we will cruise the Potomac. We will cast off all lines and get underway from Georgetown Harbor, just at the bottom of 31st Street NW at 7:15 pm., aboard the Nightingale. This will be a relaxing, post-dinner cruise so we can concentrate on the wines and the atmosphere. There are many dining establishments in the Georgetown area, several right in the Georgetown Harbor area, and we encourage all who want to take the cruise to dine there beforehand. We must depart EXACTLY at 7:15 pm for the two-hour cruise down the Potomac and back again to Georgetown Harbor. We will have a few cheeses and fruits to complement our excellent cellar wines. We encourage all who came to the German Embassy House for the Spargelfest and our other recent tastings to continue to show their enthusiasm by participating in this ever popular event. The cost for the Potomac cruise will be $34 for members and $41 for non-members. The deadline for making a reservation is 16 June, to give us sufficient time to get supplies. We are glad that we found a reasonably priced boat company for an event that our members have always enjoyed. The boat, the Nightingale, is the same boat we used the last three years and it is larger than the one we used in previous years. It is all on one level, and we have tables and chairs and a bar from which to serve the wine. It also has protection against inclement weather, which of course will not occur. So, please join us for this comfortable evening on the river.

GWS Spargelfest at the German Embassy House
2010-05-14 19:00 - 22:00 | German Embassy House, 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC, 20037, United States
We are at that time of year again for our traditional Spargelfest dinner at the German Embassy House. This year it will be on Friday, May 14, starting with a Sekt Reception at 7:00 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7:30. The price for the event will be $55 for members and $62 for non-members. The Board encourages all members and friends of the Society to reserve as early as possible. The deadline for making a reservation is May 10. The Embassy requires a statement of participants at that time for security reasons. Last minute walk-ins will not be permitted. Everyone must have a picture ID to be admitted. We’ll celebrate this annual event with a menu of white and green asparagus with a homemade hollandaise sauce Frau Thuleweit will create for us (yum!), Chicken Saute with lyonaise potatoes, Nuremburger Sausages, and a meat platter of Black Forest ham, prosciutto and Westphalia ham. This delicious and traditional dinner ends with apple strudel with whipped cream, Rote Gruetze, and coffee. It will be a bountiful table under the careful direction of Frau Thuleweit, who has always served us well. We have paired this meal with wines from the Chapter’s cellar and others purchased to pair beautifully with the food. The wine list is being finalized and will be released in the coming days. You can anticipate a Sekt reception, followed by three flights of wine: two Gruener Veltliner followed by two Kabinett, with two Auslese to accompany the dessert.
